German · Authentic-ish German
Obatzda
154 kcal a serving, against 322 for the traditional version. That is 168 kcal off, or 52%, with 12.9g of protein. Serves 6. 15 minutes.
What the traditional version is
The classic Obatzda is outrageously simple. Soft, ripe camembert, softened butter and just enough onion are mashed together, seasoned with salt, black pepper and sweet paprika, and sometimes loosened with a little beer. It's spread thick onto pretzels, and you'll often see radishes on the side for a bit of crunch.
What changed, and what each change costs
120g of butter swapped for 120g of quark
Butter is the other thing in the bowl, after the cheese. It brings the richness, but also most of the calories and almost none of the protein. Quark is fresh and tangy, with almost all the fat taken out and plenty more protein.
What it costs you. The texture is lighter and can be a bit looser if you go overboard with the quark. You lose the decadent mouthfeel. No hiding it. If Camembert and butter is what you're craving, this isn't that.
Camembert from 300g down to 200g, add 100g of quark
Camembert is lovely stuff but is high in fat and not much protein per calorie. Replacing a third of it with more quark cuts the fat further and bumps up the nutrition figures.
What it costs you. You'll notice the cheese flavour isn't quite as punchy. Quark doesn't have the same funk as Camembert, so the result is cleaner, fresher, and a bit milder.
Pretzels replaced with raw radish and cucumber
Pretzels are starch bombs, and the classic German ones are enormous. Switching to raw veg for dipping cuts out most of the carbs and lets you get a bit of fibre in while you're at it.
What it costs you. You miss the chew of a proper pretzel. No one is eating a stick of cucumber and pretending it's bread. But you'll still scoop up plenty of cheese.
The numbers
| Per serving | Traditional | Lightened |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 322 | 154 |
| Protein | 10.9g | 12.9g |
| Fat | 30.2g | 9.4g |
| Saturated fat | 18.8g | 5.9g |
| Carbohydrate | 2.3g | 5.2g |
| Protein per 100 kcal | 3.4g | 8.4g |
Every figure is computed from the recipe's own weighed ingredient list against public food composition databases. The appendix in Authentic-ish German prints the exact database row used for each ingredient, so any number here can be checked.
Allergens. milk.
The method is in the book
This version is about three stone lighter and a bit more polite. The quark makes it airy and fresh, and you can eat a serious amount without feeling like you need a nap. The funk of the camembert fades a bit, but the upside is you'll get some actual protein out of your snack. The pretzels are gone, so the full Bavarian experience is missing, but you can still knock it back with a cold beer and not worry about rolling home. If you want the classic sticky, fatty, glorious spread, you know what to do: buy some butter.
The quantities and the method for this dish are in Authentic-ish German, along with 54 more. It is not out yet. The swap kit is free in the meantime.